Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904–1991), Nobel Prize laureate, was born in Poland, into a family of hereditary rabbis. In 1935 he emigrated to the USA. Over his long life, he wrote dozens of novels, many short stories, books for children, and memoirs. The hero of the novel “Repentant,” Joseph Shapiro, who survived the Holocaust and managed to achieve prosperity, begins to feel disgusted with the life around him with all its temptations and lies. Joseph's soul becomes an arena for the struggle between God and the devil. Is God just for allowing his people to suffer unimaginably? What is the point of following religious precepts? Are simple human desires and weaknesses so disgusting? In the end, Joseph Shapiro finds a way out for himself, but does the author agree with his harsh, uncompromising decision?